Thursday, October 20, 2016

The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan - Book Review


The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan
Publication date: October 4, 2016
My rating: 4.5 stars


This book...
*shaking my head wordlessly*
I shouldn't be surprised I loved it as much as I did. This is a Rick Riordan's book, after all. But before reading it, I was terrified of reading this book. 

Long story short, I had some major issues with the first book in the Magnus Chase trilogy. 
I still ended up enjoying it, but the shock of not absolutely loving it was just too hard for me to handle. 

So when it came to anticipating The Hammer of Thor, I was cautiously excited. I readied myself for the possibility I wouldn't love it. 
And then...
OH GOD, I LOVED THIS BOOK! 

It was incredible and beautifully done.
Rick Riordan... you're amazing!

If you, like me, had your issues with The Sword of Summer, worry not! For this book will take it all away.  

In this book you may (or may not) find: 


  • A gender fluid shapeshifter who is also a love interest. 
  • A goat killer assassin. 
  • A talking sword that loves to sing. 
  • A wedding. 
  • A psychotic god trying to escape 
  • Overall craziness
  • Some fun times.
  • Some hard times
  • Some sad times
  • Some awesome times.
  • Some times in general.


See?
Isn't this reason enough to read this book?
No need to thank me as long as you read it. 


And now that we got the ones of you who haven't read it covered, let's talk spoilers!


*Full Review (with spoilers)*

This book, you guys...
This book. 


'Just like the good old days: marching together into the unknown, searching for missing magical weapons, and risking painful death. I've missed my buddies!' 

Magnus Chase: 

Oh, Magnus. I loved him so much.
This time, he really stood on his own. He didn't feel like a pale copy of Percy anymore. He was Magnus Chase, the brave healer with the talking sword.


While Magnus does know how to fight, I loved that Rick didn't make him an all capable warrior or an expert in sword fighting.
Our protagonist is more of a healer than a fighter, and I found that I liked it just fine. 

Samirah al-Abbas (a.k.a. Sam): 

Our fierce Muslim Valkyrie.
She, as well, didn't feel like a pale copy of Annabeth anymore. 
She dealt with so much in this book (possibly more than anyone), but she pulled through. As hard as things got, she didn't give up.
Sam is a strong female protagonist and I admire her capabilities. 

Hearthstone (a.k.a Hearth): 

I just love this elf so much! I want to give him a hug and tell him everything is going to be okay. 

Blitzen: 

Ah, I like this draft. 
I'm so glad he's not dead. 

Amir: 

We finally got some Amir time in this book!
And it was so good. Aside from him almost freaking out to the death, that is.
This guy deserves a medal. He's willing to do anything - anything - if it means staying with Sam. So cute. 
Also, I'm starting to see why Sam loves him so much.


Alex Fierro: 

All hail Alex Fierro!
The awesomest and craziest shapeshifter alive (ergg... well, depends on your definition of "alive"). 

For the risk of repeating myself: I just loved her SO MUCH.
Him too. 

Yeah, sorry, I'm still a bit Magnus-confused at how this works. 
But as she was, for most of the book, a she, I'm going to refer to her as a she for now.    

Don't you just love how effortlessly Rick combines diversity into his books?
He does it like he does magic. 


I also somehow became a hardcore shipper of Magnus & Alex over the course of this book. I can't imagine them not together. Just like Amir & Sam, the two of them are meant to be. 

I'm definitely not scared of the third book anymore. Also not of the second book in the Apollo series.
Rick Riordan is officially back and I just want more more more! 








"First we need advice," I said. "About sailing across magical waters, fighting weird sea monsters, and not dying at the hands of a bunch of angry aquatic gods. Strangely enough, I know just the person to talk to." "Your caousin," Sam guessed. "Yeah," I said. "Annabeth." 
Annabeth smiled. "I don't know the ocean very well, but my boyfriend does. I think it's time you met Percy."

*Dying of squealing*
Magnus and Percy meeting?
Percy making another appearance?
This is going to be:
Just...
So...
EPIC.
 

13 comments:

  1. I've heard that Rick Riordan's books are awesome to learn something about mythology.
    Because of that, I always tell myself I'll try some of his book, but yet I still haven't... :/
    And now there's just soooo many book sout there...
    P.S. I'm glad to see you loved this book so much! :)

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    Replies
    1. Ah, I get what you mean. I always feel a little overwhelmed when I want to read something by an author but they just have *so many* books that I don't even know where to start.

      I would suggest you just start with Percy Jackson and the lightning thief (the very first book in the Percy Jackson series) without thinking much about it. You'll see Rick's books are fast paced and very easy to read. You'll literally consume them one after the other (:

      Also, I'm planning on doing some sort of post about Rick Riordan's books to help people get a better grasp of how they should read them\where they should start ^^

      Thanks, Irena! :D

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  2. I'm so glad you liked this book! I had my own issues reading the first book, and was a bit concerned about reading this one too. I actually just bought it (yay!), and I hope to start it as soon as my busy schedule lets me (sigh). I'll have to finish reading your review once I've read the book, so I can read the spoiler section, but until I do, just know that I'm really happy this book makes up for what the Sword of Summer lacked, and that I can't wait to get started reading the Hammer of Thor now! :D

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm *really* hoping you'll love The Hammer of Thor :D
      Don't hesitate! I assure you, it will be good stuff ;)
      Ah, busy schedule... I know the feeling. Lately I hardly even have time to blog. To read I always have time, though. I refuse to be the kind of person that says "I don't have time to read". Nope, never gonna happen (:
      I can't wait to hear all about your thoughts of The Hammer of Thor!
      Happy reading ^__^
      And thank you, Erika! (:

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  3. Suddenly I've been feeling like reading all Rick Riordan's books. I don't know why. I think they are fluffy, good, happy books, so I'm really glad you liked this one better than the first. You convinced me when you said genderfluid character! :)

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    1. Oh yay! I always love it when I convince someone to read an amazing book :D
      I can't wait for you to read it and tell me all about what you think (:
      By the way, Rick Riordan is a master-genuis in putting diversity into his books, so it's not just in the Magnus Chase trilogy ;)

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  4. I love Rick Riordan books but have read only the Percy Jackson series and Kane Chronicles..While I LOVED Percy Jackson, Kane chronicles was good but I didn't love it...I must start with the others! Magnus Chase sounds good :) Great Review Zoey :)

    Uma@Books.Bags.Burgers.

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    Replies
    1. Hey there, Uma Shankari! I always love seeing a new face around here :')
      Let us bond over our love for the Percy Jackson series.
      I did, actually, love the Kane Chronicles. But the Percy Jackson series will forever be my favourite of Rick's books (:
      Have you read the continuation to the Percy Jackson series - Heroes of Olympus? It wasn't *as* good as Percy Jackson but still freaking awesome.
      I also hope you'll love the Magnus Chase trilogy and the new Apollo series.
      Rick just doesn't stop writing and I LOVE IT! Authors like him should never-ever stop (:

      Thank you so much for your comment!
      I hope to see you around... ^^

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    2. Thank you :) Yes let's! I suppose Kane Chronicles wasn't that impressive to me because I was still caught up in 'Percy World' and oh my, Percy world was just magical! But I do love Egyptian mythology a lot. When I was a kid, I went through 'Cleopatra' phase and I wanted to wear wigs like Egyptians :P I even bought sphinx dolls! :P
      Nope, I am planning on starting with Heroes of Olympus next week :) Yes I agree that he should never stop writing! He is such an amazing author who can mix adventure, humor and romance without overdoing anything! He is awesome *Singing a song in praise of Rick Riordan*

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    3. A Cleopatra phase? That sounds... interesting (:
      I love Egyptian mythology too! But it's not surprising, as I love so many nythologies (Greek, Japanese, Roman, Irish...).
      Oh yay! Enjoy your Heroes of Olympus :'D
      In the meantime I'll *sing a song in praise of Rick Riordan* too.

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  5. I really really have to read Riordan's books *o* this sounds so cool!

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    Replies
    1. I definitely recommend you reading his books :D
      And yep, they're so cool and amazing! ^^

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    ReplyDelete